Home » Archives for January 2020

24 temporarily free and 32 on-sale apps and games for Friday

Welcome to Friday, everyone. The end of the week is finally here, so it's time to celebrate by exploring the latest sales currently available on the Google Play Store. As always, I've highlighted the more interesting titles in bold, and I'm glad to report that there are a few high-quality games available in today's list, such as This War of Mine and Beholder 2. So without further ado, here are 24 temporarily free and 32 on-sale apps and games for the end of the week.

Read More

24 temporarily free and 32 on-sale apps and games for Friday was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


Android Match
, , , , , 11:16 PM No comments
Label: , , , , ,

New Google notification gives you a daily overview of the stocks you follow

Google and Google Assistant's relationship with stocks has been messy, to say the least. Even though you can add stocks and view your portfolio in the Assistant's settings, you can't ask it to tell you what your shares are at without integrating third parties. But there's some movement, as the Google app has begun sending out neatly bundled daily stock notifications to some people, giving them an overview of how their investments are doing.

Read More

New Google notification gives you a daily overview of the stocks you follow was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


Android Match
, , , , , 10:16 PM No comments
Label: , , , , ,

Google Messages and Phone pick up new Material icons with latest betas (APK Download)

Google has been tweaking its popular apps over the past few months to align them with the refreshed Material guidelines. After showing signs of a refresh not too long ago, Google’s dialer and messaging apps are now picking up the new outlined icons with their latest beta releases. These rather subtle changes merely replace the existing filled iconography and do not introduce any new functionality whatsoever.

Left: Old, Right: New

Left: Old, Right: New

The icons around the text field in Messages got replaced in July, so we’re not going to get into them.

Read More

Google Messages and Phone pick up new Material icons with latest betas (APK Download) was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


Android Match
, , , , , 9:46 PM No comments
Label: , , , , ,

If you're still running Android 2.3.7 Gingerbread, WhatsApp will stop working for you tomorrow

The day has come. We knew it was upon us, we prepared for it, we stocked supplies just in case it brought on the apocalypse, and now all we can do is brace ourselves for impact. Tomorrow, WhatsApp will stop working on devices running Android 2.3.7. Your collector Galaxy S, Desire HD, Nexus One, Droid X2, and other phones from that era will sadly become a little less useful from then on.

Read More

If you're still running Android 2.3.7 Gingerbread, WhatsApp will stop working for you tomorrow was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


Android Match
, , , , , 8:16 PM No comments
Label: , , , , ,

Google Lookout uses AI to help visually-impaired people navigate the world (Update: Now for Pixel 4 and 4 XL)

I can't imagine having to navigate today's world while visually impaired. From streets to people to items, and even trivial things like preparing a sandwich or knowing the proper toilet sign in a restaurant, it would all be infinitely more difficult without sight, and I have a lot of admiration for those who have to handle these situations every day.

Read More

Google Lookout uses AI to help visually-impaired people navigate the world (Update: Now for Pixel 4 and 4 XL) was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


Android Match
, , , , , 7:16 PM No comments
Label: , , , , ,

TweetCaster stops working entirely, developer says Twitter broke it (Update: Back in action)

TweetCaster is one of the oldest third-party Twitter apps available on Android, as it was originally published in 2010. However, the app hasn't been updated in over a year, and now it can't connect to Twitter at all.

Read More

TweetCaster stops working entirely, developer says Twitter broke it (Update: Back in action) was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


Android Match
, , , , , 4:16 AM No comments
Label: , , , , ,

Google Earth now lets you see the stars from your smartphone

Until recently, when zooming out in the Google Earth app to get a full view of the globe on your mobile device, you'd see our beautifully blue planet amidst a completely black background. However, thanks to what Google is crediting as advancements in mobile device processing power, you can now get a glimpse of the starry sky right from your phone.

Now, when you zoom out to see the world on mobile devices, you can rotate the Earth to view the Milky Way and stars that have been recorded by the European Southern Observatory.

Read More

Google Earth now lets you see the stars from your smartphone was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


Android Match
, , , , , 2:16 AM No comments
Label: , , , , ,

Five (of many) new emoji coming to Android this year

Each year, the Unicode Consortium reviews a seemingly infinite number of proposals that result in a list of emoji to be added to smartphones. Then companies like Google design the emoji for their operating systems like Android. 


This week, Unicode announced their 62 new emoji, along with skin tone and gender variants, for 2020. The list has us feeling 🤗, because five of the approved designs were proposed by the Android team. They’re also part of our ongoing effort to create an emoji keyboard that’s more inclusive. Here’s a look at all five:

More representation for a variety of families

Until this year, the only emoji that depicts childcare is the “breastfeeding” emoji. Since an inability to breastfeed doesn't preclude you from nurturing your child, we proposed First, “person feeding baby with a bottle”—an emoji that everyone can use. (Though in my opinion, as a mother of twins, parenthood is already representable with🌪️💩.)


Bottle Feeding emoji

Emoji design for "person feeding baby with bottle" 

We also proposed support for all gender variants for “person in veil” and “person in tuxedo,” because our technology should be inclusive of people’s experiences around the world ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

YWtzamRmbGthc2RmLmdpZg==.gif

"Person in veil" and "person in tuxedo"

More ways to show empathy

With a new appreciation of how people use emoji, we’ve also been looking into emoji that can communicate empathy, which is often lost when not speaking face to face. That’s part of the thinking behind “two people hugging” and a “slightly smiling face with tear.” 


BINK_GoogleSocial_Emoji_V1_emoji3.png

New emoji to show empathy

“Slightly smiling face with tear” is a visual metaphor for feeling simultaneous appreciation and relief—goodness with a dash of sadness. It might come in handy when thinking fondly of the past (#tbt), experiencing the present and not taking moments for granted, or looking hopefully into the future.  


Visibility for the transgender flag 

In addition to the five emoji above, we also sponsored the proposal of the Transgender flag emoji, along with Microsoft. (Googler Tea Uglow co-authored the proposal.) We hope this addition gives the trans community a way to be out and proud, and others a way to provide visible support. 


transflag.png

These five emoji, along with the other new emoji approved by Unicode, will become available for Android users later this year 🥳


Android Match
12:17 AM No comments
Label:

Classic strategy RPG Disgaea 1 lands on the Play Store as a faithful remaster

Nippon Ichi Software has released its classic strategy RPG Disgaea 1 on the Google Play Store, seemingly out of nowhere. This new release goes by the name Disgaea 1 Complete, which means the title is indeed a remaster of the original Disgaea: Hour of Darkness. Better yet, Disgaea 1 Complete is a premium release, which means there are no in-app purchases or advertisements included. Of course, since this is a premium remaster of a classic SRPG that contains hundreds of hours of gameplay, a premium price is also attached.

Read More

Classic strategy RPG Disgaea 1 lands on the Play Store as a faithful remaster was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


Android Match
, , , , , 10:46 PM No comments
Label: , , , , ,

HBO finally lets you download shows and movies to watch offline, starting in Europe

HBO has some great exclusive shows that are only scarcely available outside its network, so you need to rely on the cable company's apps to enjoy its content on the go. Besides HBO Go and HBO Now, Home Box Office also offers a European version of its service, simply called HBO. This app is first in line to receive a new download feature that finally brings it on-par with competing platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, or Disney+.

Read More

HBO finally lets you download shows and movies to watch offline, starting in Europe was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


Android Match
, , , , , 9:46 PM No comments
Label: , , , , ,

YouTube Music's expanded New Releases section is rolling out widely

YouTube Music has had an official mix of new releases and showed you a few selected recent records in their own section since last year, but until now, you couldn't see more than ten new albums or singles there. With version 3.49 of the streaming service, first published mid-January, this has started to change for some lucky people who have seen a vastly expanded version of the new releases section. Judging from reports on Reddit, this refinement is rolling out widely now.

Read More

YouTube Music's expanded New Releases section is rolling out widely was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


Android Match
, , , , , 8:16 PM No comments
Label: , , , , ,

Play Store teardown reveals automatic install for pre-registered titles may be coming

According to a recent teardown by the folks at XDA Developers, the Play Store might be picking up a new feature someday that allows it to automatically install titles, like apps or games, that you pre-register to be notified about. That could mean that the next time you want to check out an upcoming mobile game, instead of just being sent an easily-dismissed notification when it finally comes out, it could just be installed on your phone automatically.

Read More

Play Store teardown reveals automatic install for pre-registered titles may be coming was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


Android Match
, , , , , 7:16 AM No comments
Label: , , , , ,

Hangouts Meet will now let you use your phone as a mic while your computer handles the video

Yesterday it was revealed that Google was planning on merging several of its corporate-facing products into yet another messaging service to take on the likes of Slack, and today one of those pieces is getting updated with a new feature. Hangouts Meet just picked up the ability to use different sources for audio and video.

Specifically, Google is now allowing you to use your phone as the microphone during meetings, while the computer manages video.

Read More

Hangouts Meet will now let you use your phone as a mic while your computer handles the video was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


Android Match
, , , , , 6:16 AM No comments
Label: , , , , ,

Google is killing Google One Today, gives supporters only a week's notice

Today Google has announced that it's killing its One Today service. This isn't the renamed Google Drive paid storage program, but an app-based donation system you've probably never heard of, haven't used, and won't miss. Those still using it have a week before it shuts down.

Google's One Today was an easy way to support non-profit causes, showing how money that was donated was actually going to be used, featuring stories and photos of the benefits they provided, with 100% of all donations going to the non-profits in question.

Read More

Google is killing Google One Today, gives supporters only a week's notice was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


Android Match
, , , , , 2:46 AM No comments
Label: , , , , ,

Google's Area 120 team has created a Pinterest clone called Tangi

Google is a big company with a lot of different projects and groups developing "experimental" products that may never see the light of day. Google's Area 120 division is one such incubator for experimental products, and it has a new thing to show off. It's a Pinterest clone called Tangi because one Pinterest is apparently not enough.

Area 120 says the name is a combination of "TeAch aNd GIve" and "tangible." Like Pinterest, Tangi focuses on creative and lifestyle content like crafting, cooking, and fashion.

Read More

Google's Area 120 team has created a Pinterest clone called Tangi was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


Android Match
, , , , , 2:16 AM No comments
Label: , , , , ,

Google app tests a darker shade of gray, shows a few signs of AMOLED black

This post is dedicated to some of our Android Police readers and the most passionate commenters who have repeatedly argued that dark gray doesn't count as a proper dark mode and that absolute black is the only AMOLED-friendly color that matters. I won't dare discuss this further — I once tried, it was futile. Anyway, just for you, AMOLED lovers, the Google app is now testing a darker shade of gray across the app header, though sadly it still counts as gray and not black.

Read More

Google app tests a darker shade of gray, shows a few signs of AMOLED black was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


Android Match
, , , , , 12:46 AM No comments
Label: , , , , ,

32 temporarily free and 43 on-sale apps and games for Wednesday

Welcome to Wednesday, everyone. Now that the middle of the week is here, it's time once again to check out the latest app and game sales that are available on the Google Play Store. As always, I've highlighted the interesting titles in bold to make discovery easier, and even though it's the middle of the week, there are more than a few standout games available today, such as Bridge Constructor Portal, Braveland, and Sorcery.

Read More

32 temporarily free and 43 on-sale apps and games for Wednesday was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


Android Match
, , , , , 12:46 AM No comments
Label: , , , , ,

Add to playlist button appears in Google Podcasts for some, but it doesn't work yet

A new "add to playlist" button is appearing for some in Google Podcasts. As of now, trying to actually use the button doesn't do anything, but its inclusion is likely an indicator that playlist/queuing functionality will eventually come to the app, a frequent complaint against Google Podcasts since it launched.

Note the new "add to playlist" button to the right of the "Play/Played" button and left of the download button Visually, it's three lines with a plus sign in the corner. 

The currently non-functional button appears as you see above, just below the title on the episode view screen, between the playback button and the download button.

Read More

Add to playlist button appears in Google Podcasts for some, but it doesn't work yet was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


Android Match
, , , , , 11:16 PM No comments
Label: , , , , ,

Ubisoft jumps into the auto battle genre with Might & Magic: Chess Royale (Update: Out now)

Early this morning, Might & Magic: Chess Royale popped up on the Google Play Store for pre-registration, and upon closer inspection, it would appear that this is a title designed to offer large 100-player clashes in the latest take on the auto battle genre, also known as auto chess.

Read More

Ubisoft jumps into the auto battle genre with Might & Magic: Chess Royale (Update: Out now) was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


Android Match
, , , , , 10:16 PM No comments
Label: , , , , ,

Google wants to take on Slack and Microsoft Teams by making another messaging service

Google has so far had a love-hate relationship with messaging services, as it threw several of them against the wall, but only a few stuck, and that too not for long. But this didn’t deter the company from renewing its efforts to make another attempt, this time for businesses. A report by The Information suggests that Google could unify its existing communication services into a workplace-oriented app to stand against Slack and Microsoft Teams.

Read More

Google wants to take on Slack and Microsoft Teams by making another messaging service was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


Android Match
, , , , , 9:16 PM No comments
Label: , , , , ,

Infuriating Google Photos bug prevents edited H.265 videos from being saved

Some Android phones offer a nifty video solution called HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) that records your creations in the H.265 format instead of H.264. This takes up less space on your phone and in your cloud library, so it's something many people toggle on (it's not on by default on a Pixel, for example). Unfortunately, Google Photos isn't currently able to edit and save these H.265 videos, much to the dismay of many users.

Read More

Infuriating Google Photos bug prevents edited H.265 videos from being saved was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


Android Match
, , , , , 9:16 PM No comments
Label: , , , , ,

Native call recording seems almost ready for launch in latest Google Phone app beta

Google has offered call transcriptions as part of its call screening service on Pixel phones for some time already, but we know the company is also working on native actual call recording in its Phone app. Following hints in the form of code strings in versions, XDA Developers managed to activate and use call recording for the first time on the current Phone beta, 44.0.291987060, which has also received a minor icon facelift.

Read More

Native call recording seems almost ready for launch in latest Google Phone app beta was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


Android Match
, , , , , 8:46 PM No comments
Label: , , , , ,

Google working on real-time multilingual transcriptions in Translate

While Google has been having issues with its multilingual speech-to-text algorithms, the company can generally be considered a cross-language processing pioneer thanks to its easy-to-use Translate app. The service is growing ever more powerful and has only recently seen improvements in offline accuracy and a better real-time camera-based translation. Behind the scenes, Google is already working on the next big thing for Translate and has demoed live transcriptions of translations, letting you listen to one language and read in another.

Read More

Google working on real-time multilingual transcriptions in Translate was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


Android Match
, , , , , 8:16 PM No comments
Label: , , , , ,

TweetCaster stops working entirely, developer says Twitter broke it

TweetCaster is one of the oldest third-party Twitter apps available on Android, as it was originally published in 2010. However, the app hasn't been updated in over a year, and now it can't connect to Twitter at all.

Many Play Store reviews are pointing out the app no longer works, instead only providing 401 errors. This doesn't seem to be related to the app hitting Twitter's infamous API token limit, which usually marks the end of third-party clients, since existing users would still be able to access their accounts.

Read More

TweetCaster stops working entirely, developer says Twitter broke it was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


Android Match
, , , , , 4:16 AM No comments
Label: , , , , ,

QuakeAlertUSA might become your early earthquake warning app of choice

Anyone who lives near what's called the Ring of Fire is aware of "the big one" coming. Earthquakes are some of the most devastating natural disasters to occur in a short span of time. And while scientists have been able to develop an early warning system, it can only give people a moment's notice to take shelter — but every second counts. One such app that has recently come out is QuakeAlertUSA from Early Warning Labs.

Read More

QuakeAlertUSA might become your early earthquake warning app of choice was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


Android Match
, , , , , 3:46 AM No comments
Label: , , , , ,

Pokémon Go will expand online PvP battles with a new ranked league in 2020 (Update: Rolling out now)

Pokémon GO got a little closer to its established universe when Pokémon trading was added to the game, which was soon followed by player versus player (PvP) Trainer Battles. Players are required to be within close physical proximity — or have a certain friendship level for battle — to use either feature. Niantic plans to get rid of this limit, at least for trainer fights, with the upcoming GO Battle League that will pair you with an opponent, regardless of their location

GO Battle League will do away with trainers’ proximity restrictions of the existing Trainer Battles in favor of a new matching system that will have no geographical limitations.

Read More

Pokémon Go will expand online PvP battles with a new ranked league in 2020 (Update: Rolling out now) was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


Android Match
, , , , , 1:16 AM No comments
Label: , , , , ,

Pokémon Home will let you share your Pokémon across multiple devices and games (Update: Coming Feb. 2020)

Pokémon has been an international phenomenon ever since it populated the early Game Boys. By now, the franchise has become considerably more cross-platform, with Pokémon GO available on Android and iOS and Pokémon Let's Go on the Nintendo Switch. At a press conference on Tuesday, the company behind the games announced Pokémon Home, the missing link between its games: It allows trainers to bring over their favorite pocket monsters from one platform to another for the first time (well, wirelessly anyway).

Read More

Pokémon Home will let you share your Pokémon across multiple devices and games (Update: Coming Feb. 2020) was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


Android Match
, , , , , 12:46 AM No comments
Label: , , , , ,

Flashing Builds from the Android Open Source Project

Posted by Mitchell Wills, Android Build Software Engineer

AOSP has been around for a while, but flashing builds onto a development device has always required a number of manual steps. A year ago we launched Android's Continuous Integration Dashboard, which gives more visibility into the continuous build status of the AOSP source tree. However, these builds were not available for phones and flashing devices still required a manual command line process.

In order to support developers working in AOSP we are launching Android Flash Tool, which allows developers to flash devices with builds listed on the Continuous Integration Dashboard. This can be used by developers working on the Android OS to test changes or App developers to test compatibility with the latest AOSP build.

installing build

A device being flashed.

Android Flash Tool allows anyone to use a browser supporting WebUSB, such as Chrome 79 or Edge 79, to flash an Android device entirely from the browser (Windows requires installing a driver). After connecting a device and authorizing the page to connect to it users will be presented with a list of available builds. After choosing a build click flash and the tool does the rest. You can flash recent Pixel devices and the HiKey reference boards with builds based on aosp-master.

Try Android Flash Tool yourself at https://flash.android.com.

Find out more at https://source.android.com/setup/contribute/flash.


Android Match
12:44 AM No comments
Label:

Shadowgun War Games could be mobile's answer to Overwatch, and it's coming to Android Feb. 12 (Update)

It would appear that the pre-registration for Shadowgun War Games was announced last year, though the title has been missing in action since that announcement. Thanks to a recent press release, it's clear that Madfinger Games hasn't given up on the title, and is now offering a beta sign-up on its website, and since registration is open to anyone, only so many slots in the beta will be available, so make sure to sign up soon, or else you may miss out.

Read More

Shadowgun War Games could be mobile's answer to Overwatch, and it's coming to Android Feb. 12 (Update) was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


Android Match
, , , , , 10:16 PM No comments
Label: , , , , ,

New Pixel 4 Google Assistant is rolling out support for three-button navigation

The Pixel 4 launched with a few innovative features, among them a new version of Google Assistant that integrates much tighter with the system than older implementations. After its initial release, some issues quickly arose, though. You couldn't use the new Assistant with G Suite accounts or with languages other than English, and you had to activate gesture navigation to get it to work. While G Suite users and non-English speakers are still left in the cold, the rethought Assistant finally supports the tried-and-true three-button navigation.

Read More

New Pixel 4 Google Assistant is rolling out support for three-button navigation was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


Android Match
, , , , , 8:16 PM No comments
Label: , , , , ,

Google Duo now lets you send notes and doodles to your contacts

Reports of Duo's death have been greatly exaggerated. The app has continued to receive new features and improvements over the past year, and seemingly no longer requires a phone number. Now there's a new feature you can try out: drawing notes.

"We’re introducing this feature as we got feedback from users that they're looking for a more visual way to connect with their friends when one of them may be unavailable to get on a video call," Google said.

Read More

Google Duo now lets you send notes and doodles to your contacts was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


Android Match
, , , , , 6:16 AM No comments
Label: , , , , ,

Get ready for the Game Developers Conference

Posted by Kacey Fahey, Games Developer Marketing, Google

Cross-posting from the Google Developers Blog.

Google For Games at GDC March 16-20, 2020

Join us online or live* at the Google Developer Summits during the Game Developers Conference on March 16 and 17 to learn about the latest tools and updates to build great games, reach more players, and improve discovery of your game.

Google has lots to share with the game development community at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in March. Check out our plans and sign up to keep up to date with the latest GDC news and announcements from Android, Google Play, Firebase, and more.

For one week, tens of thousands of creators from the gaming community come together at GDC to hear the latest industry innovations and network with peers to enable better gaming experiences for players around the world.

Below is a preview of what to expect from Google, and remember, it’s just the beginning. Don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter as we reveal more leading up to the event, or you can check out our website, Google for Games at GDC.

Google for Games Keynote

We will start the week with the Google for Games Keynote on Monday, March 16 at 9:30 am PST. Join the livestream and learn about the latest tools and solutions to help game developers create great games, connect with players, and scale their businesses.

GDC 2019 Keynote picture

Google Developer Keynote photo at GDC 2019

Google Developer Summit

We have two days of in-depth sessions where you can uplevel your skills across Google products and solutions. Topics range from new tools to optimize game development, how to reach more devices and players, using new Firebase features to alleviate infrastructure management challenges, and much more.

Learn more about the Google Developer Summit we’ll be hosting on March 16 -17 and how you can join in person with an official GDC ticket or via livestream.

We’ll be sharing more details about everything we have planned at GDC in the coming weeks so be sure to sign up to be among the first to hear the latest updates, and save the date to watch the keynote and other Developer Summit sessions at g.co/gdc2020.

More to come soon!

The Google for Games team

*On-site events are part of the official Game Developers Conference and require a pass to attend.


Android Match
1:44 AM No comments
Label: